2 Introduction
In the 1980s and early 1990s, as an early childhood teacher and
parent educator in the Minneapolis public schools, I designed several
transition-to-kindergarten projects, the most successful model being a
workshop called “It’s Time to Think about Kindergarten.” During three
evenings, the workshop includes the topics “Choosing a School,” tips
for picking a school; “Your Child’s Experience in Kindergarten,” tips for
understanding what children do and learn in kindergarten; and “Your
Experience as the Parent of a Kindergartner,” options for family involve-
ment. The sessions were offered to families with a child who would soon
enter school. They could attend as many sessions as they wanted. An
elementary school and the community education department cospon-
sored the program, and it was free to parents, who came to learn about
how to prepare their child and themselves for this new experience. One
of the kindergarten teachers hosted the group in his classroom, which
was always a big hit as parents could visualize their child learning in
that setting.
In the mid and late 1990s, as a district administrator, I maintained my
focus on the transition to kindergarten by leading the School Readiness
Collaborative. Part of my job was to work with community and district
early childhood programs to ensure they implemented quality preschool
services. I also worked with elementary schools to design transition-to-
kindergarten activities.
As an educational consultant since 2000, I have continued to think
about the transition to kindergarten while designing curriculum, writing
articles, conducting studies, facilitating focus groups, and training educa-
tors at local and national conferences. It’s fair to say that the transition
to kindergarten from the point of view of children, families, preschool
programs, and elementary schools has been on my mind, personally and
professionally, for a long time. I have learned a lot in the process and will
share that with you in this book.
< Malika is standing in front of me, her brown eyes spar-
kling and her hands on her hips. “You know what? After I’m five, I
am going to kindergarten!”